Things I No Longer Buy | Quest for Low Waste 🌱

Originally published in August 2020.

Having recently discovered YouTuber Lara Joanna Jarvis and her frugal-living ways, a particular video of hers struck a cord with me and lead me to evaluate my own frugal/sustainabile-living habits, which I have shaped over the past couple of years. Her video was titled ‘Things I No Longer Buy’ which is entirely what it says on the tin – surrounding items that she no longer buys, as they are either wasteful, unnecessary purchases or simply just not needed in her life anymore.

So, I thought I would create a post today on items I no longer buy! whether that be as I choose to be more Low Waste with my habits or as I simply do not see value in buying them any longer. I have collated seven items I seem to actively avoid nowadays as well as more sustainable alternatives used in replacement (if any!)

1. Tippex      As a girl who is all about the diary life, having endless pages scribbled for the days where plans change does drive me crazy, but to me Tippex seems such a waste of money. Coupled with the fact its a substance that has endless chemicals in and packaging you cannot recycle; to me it’s no longer added to cart.
2. Chewing Gum     Same can be said about chewing gum, I simple do not see the point in buying it anymore. Yes, chewing gum can in fact be placed in your compost to break down, so isn’t the worst thing for the planet. But still, I simple do not buy packets of gum that last a couple of minutes before becoming flavourless – do not see the need anymore! 
3. Plastic Sellotape    This is a recent discovery, but I embarrassingly (if thats the correct word here) didn’t realise the amount of sellotape that is wasted and put in the bin. As its made of extremely thin plastic, it is near impossible to recycle. After my recent flat move, I made a bid to use up all plastic tape I had and opt for paper tape from now on, this tape from Peace with the Wild shop is a much more eco-friendly option and one I will be turning to it in future. 
4. Birthday Cards      I’ve got a couple of birthdays coming up in the next couple of weeks and have come to the conclusion that buying birthday cards is one of the biggest wastes of money going. Why buy your friend a crappy 59p card that’ll be looked at once and throw (hopefully recycled) away after a couple of days?! Instead, I’ve been making them cards! I find they’ve looked so much more thoughtful, with me print off pictures of us together and using cut outs from magazines. 100% better and cost next to nothing to  make!
5. Jewellery inc. Earrings     I must say I do like my earrings. I have 6 in total in my ears including my tragus and helix, but I have  a good selection of earrings now I definitely do not need to buy anymore! I treated myself to some hoops with a pearl at the ends for my birthday last year and wear these so often, buying more most definitely isn’t needed. Same goes for rings, I wear 3 all together, which is enough for me. As well as 1 watch I wear near enough everyday. 
6. Anything from Fast Fashion Companies     I feel this is one of the more self explanintary things on the list, as it is probably no surprise. I cannot remember the last item I purchased directly from a fast fashion brand, with me only buying one new item of clothing this year (& that was off Ebay!). I have plenty of other pieces on this blog about why you shouldn’t buy from fast fashion brands; so I’ll leave this one here and let you read more if you wish to!
7. Makeup     I’ll be honest, I cannot remember the last thing I bought in my Makeup bag, actually now I think, I’m pretty sure 75% of it has been given to me either as birthday presents or by my mum who didn’t want something. I simply do not feel the need to buy any makeup anymore. I have 1 of everything I need, with everything lasting a very long time. For the amount I wear these days, I simple do not need to be buying more plastic ladened products to sit wastefully in my bathroom cupboard!
And there we have it, seven items I no longer buy, in my Quest for Low Waste – this in fact being a hashtag I created on Instagram, so to have a succinct space for all my content I upload on there! Next time you’re on the app, check out #QuestforLowWaste.